Who are the team members?

Jack Griffin

How did you decide your team name?

Despite there being tens of thousands of places across the country that give out free food to those in need, there was no singular, reliable way to find these assistance programs. I wanted the name of my organization to be simple and representative of the problem it solves.

Tell us briefly about your business idea.

I got the idea for FoodFinder as a high-schooler when I couldn’t find somewhere to volunteer at near my home in Georgia. Since I had such trouble finding these assistance providers, I wondered how hard it must be for those actually in need of the assistance offered at these locations.

I want to make it as easy as it should be for someone struggling with hunger to find a helping hand. The heart of FoodFinder’s value comes from our platform’s ability to combine the speed and privacy of an online tool with the care, compassion, and reliability of a human.

How has the MBC experience helped transform your approach to business strategy?

As a nonprofit, I’ve primarily spoken with donors (rather than investors) when it comes to demonstrating the value of FoodFinder. However, thanks to the MBC, I’ve gotten much better at highlighting FoodFinder’s strength as a business in addition to our positive social impact.

What do you think will be the long-term impact of the implementation of this idea?

In the long run, FoodFinder should be an institution of the food assistance space. Countless organizations already contribute so much to feed the less fortunate, but FoodFinder will act as a rising tide that can support all other efforts in the fight against hunger.

What been your biggest takeaway from this experience?

My biggest takeaway from the Michigan Business Challenge has been defining my own style of presenting. I’m really thankful to have had the opportunity to compete and to welcome others into our vision of a hunger-free America.

If you win, what will you do immediately following the competition?

Winning the Impact Track would mean a lot for FoodFinder. Not even a week after the competition, I’ll head home to Atlanta for Spring Break and get to work with our development team on making FoodFinder more capable of helping food insecure families than ever before.